Welcome to Louisiana Parents Against Common Core. This site is brought to you by a group of Louisiana parents who are taking a stand against Common Core. Our intention is to provide clear, easy to understand information that will lead you to do your own research.

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Opt Out Confusion

LAPACC has remained neutral and out of the conversation having to do with Opting out of the PARCC "like" test. We feel that the decision to "opt out" is a very personal decision made by a parent for his or her child.

At this point, we feel the need to speak out. Parents are being given false information by the leaders of their schools and school board officials. This does not seem to be an isolated issue, but instead a very widespread problem.

We aim only to arm parents with accurate information so that YOU can make the best decision for YOUR child. At this point, you need to question everything you are told. Apparently, there is much pressure being placed on schools to change the minds of parents who want to opt out.

A: You can drop it off at the school or call your local school board and ask if they are accepting the letters.

Q: Do you have to meet with administration, sign anything in the presence of an administrator or explain why you are opting your child out?

A: No, if they ask to meet with you, politely decline the invitation. If they persist, ask to see the law stating that you have to sign an opt-out from in front of administration. (There is NO law)

Q: What will my child be doing during testing?

A: This needs to be answered by the school. Most likely they will be given work to do and may or may not be in the same room as PARCC testing.

Q: Does my child have to miss school on scheduled PARCC testing days?

A: No, the school cannot ask you to miss school and receive an unexcused absence.

Q: Will my child fail this year by not taking PARCC?

A: The test will have no impact on pupil progression (passing to the next grade level) this 2014-2015 school year.

Q: Does PARCC accommodate my child with IEP and 504 plan which is required by law?

A: PARCC is in conflict of federal law and NOT allowing read-aloud for the reading comprehension. If accommodations are not met this could be grounds for a civil rights violations. (Need help in filing a violation: How to file a civil rights complaint)

Q: Will my child be denied honors or AP classes if he or she is opted out of the PARCC test?

A: No, grades from previous years, teacher recommendations, and parent requests all factor in if a child is in honors or AP classes.

Q: Will opting out affect the teachers?

A: No, there will be no VAM (Value Added Measure) for this school year, meaning that teachers will NOT be held accountable for the PARCC scores.

Q: Will opting out affect the schools?

A: Yes, as of right now zeros will have an effect on overall percentage contributing to the schools letter grade. If there are a significant number of opt-outs John White (Louisiana State Superintendent of education) stated that BESE may consider a moratorium on school letter grades for next year.

Q: Is there a way to get PARCC out of our schools?

A: YES! By way of legislation. Get involved and call your State Representatives, voice your concerns about PARCC.

If you have questions, please feel free to ask. We don't claim to be the experts... but we will do everything we can to find the right info for you!

Opt Out Question we have received: I need to know where it is stated that schools cannot give your student an unexcused absence or require them to stay home please. Ladies and Gentlemen, the principals can not tell you to have your child skip school! From Lee Barrios: A school would be contributing to the delinquency of a minor if they told the student not to come to school. School districts also require attendance a minimum number of hours a semester in order to qualify for progression. A student can fail just based on absences, excused or unexcused This link explains the truancy law:
http://www.lawserver.com/law/state/louisiana/la-laws/louisiana_childrens_code_title_vii_chapter_15 Here is a link to Louisiana State Law (Regarding Mandatory school attendance):
http://www.legis.la.gov/Legis/Law.aspx?d=80276

From Lee Barrios:A school would be contributing to the delinquency of a minor if they told the student not to come to school. School districts also require attendance a minimum number of hours a semester in order to qualify for progression. A student can fail just based on absences, excused or unexcusedThis link explains the truancy law:http://www.lawserver.com/law/state/louisiana/la-laws/louisiana_childrens_code_title_vii_chapter_15Here is a link to Louisiana State Law (Regarding Mandatory school attendance):http://www.legis.la.gov/Legis/Law.aspx?d=80276

What if your child comes home from school and a teacher tells them that these opting out children has made her work harder and she doesn't like them very much right now? Isnt that classified as bullying and watching the other children getting and eating ice cream and such for their taking the tests while the opting out children get nothing? It. is not the children's fault that parents chose for them to opt out so why punish the children?